It's been a long road to Bebey. Its first single, "Only You" - a Kevin Parker-steeped recreation of Steve Monite's 1984 Afro-boogie track - released in October 2018. With its liberating energy and a Tame Impala credit, "Only You" became a success. More tastes of Theophilus London's new album were sprinkled across 2019: "Whiplash", "Seals", "Pretty", "Cuba". Theo even shared an early edit of "Whoop Tang Flow" on SoundCloud. Despite all these provided pieces, it was unclear what form Bebey would take. The songs all encapsulated such different sounds that it was hard to imagine they would all occupy space on the same project.
However, on Friday, Bebey finally arrived - six years after London's last full-length, Vibes - and every single mentioned above made the cut (even two different renditions of "Seals"). When you play Bebey through, somehow, it doesn't feel discordant or unfocused. It merely feels like Theophilus London has many musical and emotional sides to him that all demand their respective moments. Fortunately, they all have something interesting to say. Despite these varied textures, the upshot is that Bebey wants you to dance. London draws from his Caribbean roots to bring sunny reggae and dancehall rhythms. As played-out as the term "vibes" has become, it doesn't feel inaccurate to say Theophilus London is all about them. He knows what looks good, he knows what sounds good and he knows what feels good. Bebey invites everyone to indulge in the good life.
